


Downtime

by cloaked__schemer



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Ruby & Sapphire & Emerald | Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Versions
Genre: Fluff, M/M, pure fluff nothing but fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-31 00:48:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6448852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloaked__schemer/pseuds/cloaked__schemer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A lot of work comes with the title of Champion, but there's always time to wind down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Downtime

**Author's Note:**

> some fluff to counter Real's short pain and suffering

Work, work, work. That's all Wallace seemed to be doing lately.

Granted, excess work came with the title of Regional Champion, and Steven knew all about how stressful the position could be if you let your attention wander elsewhere. If Wallace was anything he was dedicated, and he'd always get his work done before he even thought about relaxing. Unfortunately, that left Steven feeling somewhat forgotten among the mountains of paperwork his partner was currently riffling through, their contents not of note now that that he no longer held his title.

Wallace hadn't touched the meal Steven had left for him earlier, likely hadn't even acknowledged its presence from the look of it. He had been leaning over his work for a couple of hours now, and Steven was sure Wallace would be complaining nonstop about a bad back for the next week once he was done. His own fault, really; he had a desk, but claimed it was easier for him to work when he had it all spread out on the floor before him to look over.

Idiot.

There was a gentle smile on Steven's lips when he stepped into the living room, grabbing the remote control for the television and turning down the volume slightly. How Wallace could even stay focused with the thing at a regular volume was beyond Steven, who could only work with a soft background noise lest he get totally distracted. With a sigh, he stepped over to his fool of a lover, settling behind him and running his fingers through long, soft teal hair. Wallace raised his head for the first time all night, and rolled his shoulders with a grunt and several popping noises from his back. Steven shook his head, moving aside long teal hair to gently rub his partner's shoulders to try to soothe some of his pain.

"You could make use of the desk we spent a day putting together."

"I work in a way that suits me best."

"I don't think something that causes your back to crack the way it just did is something that's the best for you," Ringed fingers worked to relax the strained muscles in Wallace's back, the new Champion groaning as he started to loosen up again. "Now, are you going to take a break or do I have to find a better way to distract you?"

Wallace hummed contemplatively, his hands finally ceasing movement for a moment, pen ready to drop to the floor. Then, it was over, and ink was gliding on paper once more. "Back rubs are lovely, dear, but I really do need to get this work done..."

Steven raised an eyebrow at the response given, noting the odd tone dropped into Wallace's voice, as if...

"Are you trying to get me to do nice things for you as ways to 'convince' you to stop working?"

Wallace was silent, pen swiftly signing some piece of paperwork or another. Steven simply rolled his eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh as he continued to rub Wallace's back. The only sound in the living room now was the shuffling of papers and the scratches of the pen making its marks, faster and with a new flourish, and Steven knew that if he was in front of him, Wallace would have a playful smirk on his lips. He was tempted to leave his job where he was just to spite the teal-haired Champion, but instead he decided to run his fingers through that long hair instead, straightening out minor tangles and making Wallace shiver. Delicately, Steven separated the blue waves into three pieces, starting to cross them over each other and slowly braiding Wallace's hair.

"Where in the world did you learn how to braid?" He asked quietly, still writing as he spoke. Steven let out a smug huff, his lip twitching upwards in a smirk as he focused on his partner's hair.

"Lisia showed me how while you were out battling that new challenger the other day. She kept complaining about how bored she was without you around so she taught me and and made me do her hair," He paused briefly in his work to shrug. "Naturally it didn't turn out as well as both as both of us hoped it might, but it wasn't terrible..."

Steven heard Wallace snigger at his little story. He knew how his niece got when she had nothing to do. The braid was about halfway complete by now, taking longer than expected due to Steven's slow pace and attempts to correct any uneven twists. Wallace had finally put down his pen, straightening his back with a few more pops and cracks, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of Steven styling his long, long hair. He pulled a black hair tie from around his wrist, passing it back to the Steel specialist when it was clear he was nearly finished. It was taken gratefully, and Steven tied the end of the braid.

"...I still need a lot of practice."

Wallace opened his eyes, reaching behind him and pulling his hair over his shoulder to get a look at Steven's work. Slightly messy and uneven in places, but otherwise it was a good effort, and Wallace smiled warmly, finally turning around to face the slate-haired man. He leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on Steven's cheek before pulling him into a hug he reciprocated.

"It's lovely, Steven. But yes, I'm definitely going to have to give you a few more lessons. And I'm sure Lissi would love to help out again."

"Thank you, dear," Steven smiled, resting his head on Wallace's shoulder. "Perhaps one day I'll be able to do something you'll be able to wear out of the house."

"Perhaps, my love," Wallace couldn't help but laugh, pulling Steven even closer. "Perhaps."

**Author's Note:**

> i love long-haired wallace headcanons. long-haired wallace is best wallace.
> 
> also, i'd just like to thank the commenters and people who gave me kudos on Real. thank you so much!! it's the best reception any of my fanfics from other fandom's have had (within the time span of course) and nice words have made me so happy! i'm sorry for not replying individually to every comment....but please know that i appreciate the positive feedback so so much! ♪( ´▽｀)


End file.
